


Memory Lane

by Kimberlytiny



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-08-18 20:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8175128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimberlytiny/pseuds/Kimberlytiny
Summary: Accidently knocking down a crate full of letters and photos, Dean and Cas go down memory lane remembering pieces of the past.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Wrote this as part of a writing challenge I participated in. The theme was "Childhood" and the prompt was "Stuffed Animal"
> 
> Also supppper sorry if this seems a bit rushed. I was swamped with work and homework so I tried my best to write this during the free time I had. Hope you guys like it ^-^

“Let’s play some football.” Dean suggested, moving the joystick on the controller. “Dammit!” Dean shouted, pulling his controller into the air as if that would do anything. “How the hell do you do that every time!”

Cas let out a small laugh, too focused on the game to answer. He had just gained the upper hand, taking the lead, passing Dean with one more lap to go. 

“I’m catching up!” Dean teased.

“That’s fine.” Cas answered unfazed. 

Dean pursed his lips as his weak attempt to make Cas nervous had failed. “I’m doing it! I think I’ve finally got it this time!” Dean shouted. He was always vocal when he and Cas played games together. Especially in Need for Speed, considering Dean had never managed to once beat Cas. What made it worse was that it was Dean’s game and Cas only ever played when he came over. “Are you even trying?”

Cas said nothing. Instead, he pressed a button and instantly shot forward, passing Dean, just before crossing the finish line. “First place!” A woman on the TV said seductively. 

“What the-!” Dean barely had time to process what happened before 2nd place flashed on his part of the screen. 

“Yes.” Cas said smugly, responding to his earlier question.

“I thought for sure I had it this time!” Dean breathed as he stretched his arms above his head then falling backward onto the carpeted floor of his bedroom. “So how about it?”   
Dean re-asked his first question, reaching for the football to the left of him, tossing it up into the air and catching it. 

“Do you remember what happened the last time you asked me to play? You threw the ball at my head and gave me a minor concussion.

“I said I was sorry.” Dean muttered, tossing the ball once again. 

“Half of my face was purple!” Cas reminded him. “For a week!” 

“Okay, okay. No football.” Dean gave in. 

Aiming for the space between a crate and his football helmet, Dean threw the football at the top of the closet. Cas watched closely only to see it hit the crate, knocking it and all of its contents to the floor. Dean jumped up, hurrying to put everything back into the crate. 

Cas came over to help Dean, slightly taken aback by the ferocity at which Dean was trying to pick everything up. “What is all this?” Cas asked, picking up a small black book. On it read, Dean & Castiel. Underneath that was a date, 2002 - _____. Before Cas could figure out what it was, Dean snatched it away, hiding it behind his back as if Cas hadn’t already laid eyes on it. Slightly taken aback, Cas looked at Dean with more curiosity than before wanting to know what was inside. 

“Dean, what is that?” He asked calmly. Cas could see Deans face become red and that whatever it was, he was embarrassed that Cas had seen it. “Dean?” Cas asked once more when he didn’t answer. 

“It’s nothing!” 

“Well, it’s something! My name was on it!” Cas argued. 

Dean protested. “So?” 

“So, I think I have a right to know what it is!” 

Dean said nothing. Looking at his lap he knew he had been defeated. Slowly he brought the book out from behind his back, thinking hard one last time whether or not to hand it over. Eventually, Dean gave up. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Cas did have a right to know what it was, no matter how embarrassing it may be. Reluctantly Dean handed it over. 

Cas took it in his hands, slowly opening it to the first page. On it was a polaroid of the two of them together. Deans arm around Cas’s shoulder, a grin from ear to ear while Cas’s was subtle but nonetheless clearly happy. Underneath the photo was a poorly written caption that read, “First day of kindergarten. – August 2002.” Cas could tell by the handwriting that Dean had written it. 

“Oh my God.” Was all Cas could say. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s embarrassing and dumb, now give it back.” Dean said, reaching to snatch it away but Cas quickly held it out of reach. 

“No way! I want to see more.” Said Cas, flipping through to the next page. Dean sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. 

At first, Dean thought Cas was going to make fun of him but was surprised to see his smile grow with each turn of the page. 

“I remember this.” Cas said, lightly brushing his fingers over the image. In the photo, Cas wore a homemade doctors costume with a stethoscope around his neck whereas Dean was dressed in camo with a two gun in his hand; a soldier. Together the two sat on the floor of Deans living room, empty bags and pieces of candy everywhere. “Halloween. – 2004” was written below. 

Dean stared at the brown haired boy that sat in his room. His eyes fixated on the book in his hands, his smile soft and gentle, carefully flipping to the next page.   
Looking back at the crate stuffed with papers and other memorabilia, Dean realized he hadn’t seen most of this stuff in months, some of it years. Cas finally looked back up at Dean. He could see how happy he was but didn’t know where his mind was. 

“so…?” Dean began not sure what to expect. 

“You have,” Cas paused. “Everything, in this book. It’s incredible.” 

“You don’t think it’s weird? That I keep pictures of us and all this stupid stuff.” Dean said. 

“I did…at first. But looking back at how young we were and happy we were then, made me happy. I kind of forgot some of the things that happened all those years ago so I’m glad I could revisit them.” Cas moved his eyes from Dean to the crate. “May I?” He asked. 

Dean sighed. Cas had already seen what he thought was the most embarrassing thing he owned, how much worse could it really get? Dean pushed the crate towards Cas in response, giving him permission to go through everything else, hoping to God he hadn’t forgotten something much worse.   
Cas sifted through the contents of the crate, taking out papers and other loose photos, carefully examining each. 

Dean had gone back to lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling until a sniffle caught his attention. Sitting up, he saw tears drip from Cas’s cheek. “H-hey man? You okay?” Dean could only pray it wasn’t something stupid his dumb self had said. 

Cas nodded, his cheeks turning bright red, embarrassed that Dean had caught him crying. 

“What is it?” Dean asked. 

Cas took a moment before answering, wiping the tears away with the collar of his shirt. “It’s the letters I wrote to you when I moved away.”

Dean was instantly taken back to 7th grade. Cas had moved foster homes in order to lessen the amount of children at the home he was placed at. It wasn’t the first time he had been moved, but every other time had been within Kansas City, able to see Dean every day at school. Thankfully, before the school year was up, Cas’s social worker Anna did everything in her power to find a stable home for him in Kansas and when a spot opened up, she took no time in moving him back. Cas referred to her as an angel as she did the impossible for him. The home he was then placed at was the longest he’d stayed at any place before, still living there today. 

Cas handed Dean the letter so he could see. It was that letter. In it, Cas explained about the family he was living with. Having to room with three older boys that treated him like the underside of a garbage can while the parents worked full-time jobs and were hardly ever home. It was the last line that Dean remembered how much this letter hurt.

Dean, I miss you so much. I wanna come home. 

Now it was Cas who stared at Dean. His face was hard and emotionless, but Cas knew that was only him trying not to break. Crying in front of someone was a cardinal sin in Deans book. Said it made him look weak. 

Instead he took in a deep breath, put it at the bottom of the stack, and continued reading the rest of the letters.

Before Cas averted his attention to the rest of the contents, he noticed something small and white peeking out from behind the crate. Cas scooted closer to Dean to get a better look at the object before ultimately picking up a small off-white stuffed bunny. 

“I can’t believe you still have this.” Cas said in disbelief, touched that he had kept it all these years. 

Dean had forgotten all about the bunny Cas had given him more than 10 years ago. How could he forget? The bunny was admittedly one of the most important things to him.   
Holding the bunny in his hands, he was taken back to the first day of second grade. Dean had just found out that he and Cas would not share the same class that year. Noticing how heartbroken Dean was not to have his best friend with him, once school ended that day, Cas ran all the way to Dean’s house presenting him with his favorite stuffed animal, a small and soft pure white bunny. 

“Cas, I can’t take this from you.” Dean said.

To Cas, the stuffed animal served as a comfort item anytime he moved foster homes, but after that day he decided Dean should have it. Dean knew how much that bunny meant to Cas, even at such a young age, but nonetheless, Cas shoved it into his hands, refusing to take it back. 

“It’s okay. That way you can have a piece of me no matter where I am.” Cas smiled at him, in which Dean graciously accepted the gift. Dean would never admit it, but every night that year, he refused to fall asleep without it, taking comfort in knowing that a piece of Cas was always with him.

Dean turned his head to Cas, wanting to say something but was caught off guard by how close they had gotten, their faces only inches apart. 

“Oh, sorry.” Cas apologized, beginning to move back but Dean had already leaned in before he could scoot any further, pressing his lips to Cas’s. Caught off guard by the sudden contact, Cas sat rigid, afraid to move. Dean, however, was soft, his lips warm to the touch making Cas melt into him as he then eased up, becoming gentle and fluid against his. The kiss was short and sweet. Pulling apart just as quickly as it had begun. When they pulled back, Cas stared at Dean wide-eyed, unsure how to take the situation. 

“Oh God.” Dean said realizing what he had just done. “Cas, I’m so sorry, I just,” 

“Dean, it’s okay.” Cas reassured as Dean started to panic. 

“How the hell is that okay?” He continued, rambling on. “I wasn’t thinking and did something you wouldn’t like, and I can’t believe what I just did! And to my best friend! And now you know how I feel, and-”

“Dean!” Cas said sternly in order to get his attention. 

“What-” But Dean was quickly interrupted when it was Cas who leaned in for a kiss. This time short and direct. Pulling away, he looked into Dean’s eyes. “Who said I didn’t like it?” 

Beyond lost for words, Dean stared at Cas, unsure if he had heard him correctly. A whole 30 seconds passed before Dean uttered a word and all he came up with was “What?”

“I’ve had a crush on you for years…” Cas admitted, playing with the bunny in his hands as he tried to distract himself from Dean. 

“You…did?” Dean said unable to comprehend what Cas had said. 

“Yes, Dean!” Cas turned towards Dean, wondering how many times he would have to repeat himself to get it through his head. 

Dean stared into Cas’s sapphire eyes, unwavering as if trying to make Cas confess that it was all a lie.

“All these years?” Dean asked seriously, his gaze hard and cold on Cas. 

“Yes.” He answered. 

After another minute of soaking in what Cas said, Dean finally cracked. “Son of a bitch.” He could feel his cheeks becoming hot and turned his head so Cas couldn’t see. “Quit being all mushy.” He joked, playfully pushing the side of his head, trying to change the subject. 

“W-What! Me!?” Cas stuttered, not knowing how to respond. 

Dean laughed at how fluster he got. God, he’s cute. He thought, glancing at him once more.

“What are you laughing at?!” Cas said in exasperation. 

“Nothing! Nothing.” Dean smiled to himself. “Just thinking about how I’m going to beat you next time we play Need for Speed.” 

“Oh, come, on!” Cas rolled his eyes, emphasizing each word. 

“What! You don’t think I can?” Dean retaliated with a raise of his eyebrow. 

“Well, you haven’t yet…” Teased Cas.

“Wow. Okay. I see how it’s going to be.” Dean grabbed the controller, tossing the other to Cas. 

The blonde woman appeared on screen once more, standing in between the race cars, flag in hand. Her seductive voice sounded through the speakers, “Ready, set,-” Dean leaned over to Cas, giving him a quick peck on the lips before she finally said, “Go!” with a wave of the flag. By the time Cas could register what even happened Dean had shot forward to first while Cas remained behind the line still in 8th.

“Hey!” Cas shouted, realizing what he was doing. 

“Should’ve been paying attention.” Said Dean. 

Content in each other’s company Dean and Cas played for the rest of the night. Even though he was still unable to beat Cas, he found he was glad to just be there with him, ready to collect more memories with the boy he had fallen hopelessly for. And besides, when it came to Cas, he always took first place.


End file.
